(AP) Ahmet Mete, who was recognized by Turkey but not by Greece as the elected mufti for the Muslim population in the Xanthi region, died Thursday at age 57, his family said.
The family did not discuss the cause of death, but Mete had been suffering from cancer for several years.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted, in Turkish: “I wish God’s mercy on Ahmet Mete Hocaefendi, the Elected Mufti of Xanthi. I convey my condolences to the family (and) loved ones of our deceased teacher and to all my brothers and sisters living in Western Thrace.”
A mufti is a religious official adjudicating on matters of Islamic law. In Greece, the Muslim community is governed by sharia law on matters of civil law, especially family and succession law, but not criminal law. Sharia has primacy even over EU civil law.
